James River Bridge Fishing Pier

We came on the weekend, it was a little busy (I heard it's a lot less busy during the weekdays) but all the fishers were very nice. When you walk up towards the entrance you have to pay before you can enter the fence. It's nine dollars for the day until 11pm. They put a little bracelet on your arm so you can leave and enter again if need be. What ever you do, BRING CASH! They don't accept credit cards for anything. The pier is actually pretty long, it can fit a huge group of people. One of the girls in the restaurant said they planned on making it even longer!The staff was actually really nice and lent us a bucket for our bait. They have bathrooms and a restaurant attached so you could literally not have to leave for anything. We stayed closer to the shore because there was less people down towards the front. If you face towards the highway be careful not to cast too far. The fish were decent size, we only caught a few but the group even close to the shore were filling up a bucket!Be sure to have your license and don't have any illegal fish on you because the park ranger did show up during our visit. He went down the entire pier looking at what types of fish people caught. Don't be afraid though he was really nice and helped us identify what kind of fish my husband had caught earlier. Definitely will return to this dock again.

Four of us ventured out to this pier on a weekend evening and though it was raining with a bit of thunder when we got there, the pier was still open for business (at your own risk of course.) There is no fishing license required but you do have to pay $9 per person (cash only) to fish. They have squid, shrimp, and snacks for fishers for purchase but no rod rentals so make sure to bring your own. The pier is super long, with a good width to it so it was not overly crowded, though I can't comment on a nice sunny day. There is also a bathroom close to the entrance and a restaurant right by the pier. We did encounter the marine police but they were super friendly, but also doing their job by making sure no one had any illegal fish. We were able to catch fish and crabs while watching the sun set. I've been to the Virginia beach fishing pier and would prefer this pier because there's less tourists. Overall, a great place to fish with family and friends!

Reviewed the website before traveling 3 hours from Greenville NC today (10-14-22) only to find they close at 11pm. the website says they are open 24 hour...THEY ARE NOT!!! Change your website hours to match what your current hours of operation are!! When I asked the guy at the window why are hours different from what is on the website he says yeah we need to change that. Sheesh! Their hours of operation are 9am-11pm every day after Labor Day. This great fall fishing season is what they call the off season. Talk about being out of touch with their consumers! We had to get a room to try tomorrow but while I'm in this room I will be exploring other places to fish whose website is accurate about their business!!

I've visited the pier 3 times now. Each time I have been disappointed with the service, as well as the facility. The bathrooms are dirty, toilets overflow. The last time I visited, will be my final time. I feel I have given it a good chance on varying days of the week. There is a dock for boats to moor and dine at the restaurant, and the boaters have no consideration for fishermen, running over the lines in the water and causing the rigs to snap. When I mentioned this to the pier worker at the entrance gate I was told that the restaurant business comes before the pier, even though it cost 9.00 to get on the pier! Unless you are planning to dine at the crab shack, the fishermen on the pier are treated as second class citizens by the restaurant and pier personnel. I will go elsewhere from now on, there are better options for sure!Your review helps others learn about great local businesses.Please don't review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you're connected in any way to the owner or employees.